Arthritis Management

Arthritis Management

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a kind of joint disorder involving inflammation of one or more joints. There are over hundred different forms of arthritis and the most common form, related degeneration is of joint, it may be an outcome of infection to the joint, trauma of the joint, or age.

How can it affect the joints?

Arthritis can affect and damage any joint in the human body, though it mostly affects joints in the hips, knees, hands and spine. Typically, Arthritis affects only one joint but in some cases, such as with finger arthritis, different joints can be affected.

What are the symptoms to look for?

The most common symptoms of Arthritis involve joint pain, joint swelling, stiffness especially in the morning, redness of the skin around a joint, and limited movement or loss of flexibility.

Surgical Intervention

There are various surgical interventions that can be carried out depending on the severity of patients’ condition.

These include:

• Arthroscopic debridement- In this procedure products of wear and tear are removed by inserting a telescope into the knee.• High Tibial Osteotomy- The tibia (shin bone) is usually cut at the upper end and realigned to transfer the weight in a knee which is partially arthritic. • Arthroplasty – Arthroplasty or Total Knee Replacements is relining of the bone end surface with artificial parts that are called Prostheses.

Our Surgeons at Vimhans PrimaMed go through the detailed medical history of patients as it may have a bearing on the operation and its outcomes.

What are the causes of Arthritis?

Arthritis happens when the cartilage which cushions the ends of bones in the joints deteriorates over time. This makes the smooth surface of the cartilage becoming rough and causing irritation. Eventually, if cartilage erodes completely, what is left is bone rubbing on bone leading the ends of your bones to become damaged and joints become painful.

It is not yet clear what causes Arthritis in the most cases, however, it could be a combination of several factors, including the aging process, overweight, heredity, joint injury or stress, infection, broken bone, autoimmune disease, and muscle weakness.

Can Arthritis be treated?

In initial stages, Arthritis can be managed through medications. Anti-inflammatory medications often limit swelling and suppress pain. If X-rays confirm severe destruction or the joint cartilage has been damaged to an extent that it becomes unbearably painful, the surgical option needs to be carried out.
As far as surgery is concerned it would be advised by our experts after a thorough inspection and overall check-up of the patient. It demands pre-operative care and high coordination among our expert team depending on patient’s health status.